The World Handicap System – A Review

The biggest change in golf isn’t happening on the course. Instead, the new World Handicap System is reshaping how players of varying handicaps compete.

So far, so good. While that might not be a ringing endorsement for the new World Handicap System (WHS), but it’s an honest assessment.

Most areas of the country are now able to post scores in the new WHS. Those in southern climes have been doing it for a couple of months, but if you are north of the Mason-Dixon, your local rules probably prevented you from posting until this past week, at best.

Here are a few early observations that tell me the new World Handicap System is on the right track.

Low handicappers are complaining about it.

This is always a good sign for us mid-handicappers. The reason the single-digit folks are upset has little to do with their handicaps and everything to do with strokes allotted by handicap.

In a strange twist, my handicap went down a touch in the new system, but I picked up a stroke on my card. This did not make my friends happy. It did, however, make me a little more competitive.

One of the big issues with the old system was that your strokes allotted never felt quite like enough. It seemed to be based on your best possible performance. The new WHS appears to give more strokes to higher handicappers. It seems also to give less help to low handicappers. This is fair and it will make your club tournaments more competitive (re: heated).

It’s taking aim at cheaters.

The World Handicap System does a couple of things that make it harder to cheat – or at least makes it easier to spot those that game the GHIN system.

• The old system adjusted every two weeks. That meant you could get crafty by posting scores just before or after the bi-monthly posting schedule. No more. WHS handicaps are adjusted every day. Now your handicap will reflect the golfer you are today, not the one you were two weeks (or more) ago.
• It takes your eight best scores of your last 20 rounds. This creates a tighter dispersion pattern and makes the occasional blow-up round less impactful on your card. That means sandbaggers will really have to stuff the ballot box to raise their handicaps.
• You must put scores in on the day you play. The reason is that the WHS accounts for weather conditions and how they might affect your score. The days of posting a boatload of scores one day a month are gone. If you do this, the WHS will call you out.

It’s helping the speed of play

The net double bogey scoring limit should help people realize it’s time to pick up and move to the next hole. No more Chisanbop on the green trying to figure out your max score. A net double bogey for everyone. Easy.

The new GHIN app is nice

I’m a fan of injecting technology to make the game of golf more enjoyable. The new GHIN app looks nice, functions well, is easy to navigate, and should encourage more golfers to use it.

I also like that they have allowed users to post hole-by-hole. In fact, this is the kind of data that could really help courses with ratings and handicaps.

My fear is that few golfers will take the time when we have been trained for years to just put in a total score. If the USGA could add high-quality GPS to the app, make it free, and keep adding stat tracking it would be a home run.

I suspect a full season of using the new WHS will reveal other wrinkles, but hats off to them for taking a common-sense approach to unifying the game and making it more data-driven. We can still enjoy the traditions of golf, but having more data will help courses, teaching Pros, recreational golfers, and the USGA see where future changes need to be made to keep the game fun, fair, and interesting.